Freshness
Source and verification
- Owning repository
- bitcoinuniverseio/stampdex (private application source)
- Source path
- indexer status service, cache key constants
- Applicable release
- continuous deployment, verify with GET /api/version
- Chain and network
- bitcoin / mainnet
- Lifecycle
- stable
- Last verified
- 2026-09-01
- This page
- Edit on GitHub · Bitcoin Universe platform
Every number here has an age. This page says how old it can be and how to find out.
The lag report
Section titled “The lag report”curl https://stamp.api.bitcoinuniverse.io/api/v1/indexer/statusThe response compares the index’s last block against the Bitcoin tip and reports the difference in blocks, with a plain-word summary.
| Lag | Reported freshness |
|---|---|
| Up to 2 blocks | ok |
| Up to 12 blocks | stale |
| More than 12 blocks | delayed |
| Not readable | missing |
Those thresholds are StampDEX’s own reporting. They describe the number, they do not gate it.
What Universe does not enforce
Section titled “What Universe does not enforce”The ecosystem registry records, for both protocols:
Universe does not enforce a StampDEX-versus-chain lag threshold.
And, for confirmation policy:
Confirmation policy is delegated to StampDEX and Counterparty. Confirmation policy is delegated to the StampDEX fill workflow.
Read together: nothing at the Universe layer refuses to show you a figure because it is too old, and nothing at the Universe layer sets the confirmation depth. The venue decides, and the venue reports. Your check is the status endpoint.
Cache ages
Section titled “Cache ages”Server-side caches mean a fresh index reading can still reach you a little late. The ranges you should assume:
| Surface | Typical cache |
|---|---|
| Balances | About 20 seconds |
| Stamps market overview and rankings | 20 seconds |
| Transfers, individual stamps, stamp lists, searches | 30 to 60 seconds |
| Token lists and individual tokens | 60 seconds |
| Fee rates | 60 seconds |
| Discovery picks | 60 seconds |
| Collections | About 2 minutes |
| The whole-market aggregate | About 5 minutes |
Polling faster than the cache returns the same answer. If you are building against the API, cache on your side too. See Rate limits.
Fee rates are all-or-nothing
Section titled “Fee rates are all-or-nothing”Fee estimates arrive as five tiers. If any tier is missing or not a number, the whole response is rejected and an error is returned instead. Partial fee data is never served, because a partial fee table invites a transaction built at a rate nobody quoted.
What a stale reading looks like
Section titled “What a stale reading looks like”When the index lags, StampDEX shows the readings it has and their age rather than pretending they are current. A number does not silently become unknown because it is old, and it does not silently become current because it is displayed.